Like a Fish in the Sea
by WinglessBird
Summary: After a gruelling case, the team is taken off rotation for a short break. But when they come back, Tony is not as he seems. Is he hiding something or have his lives finally run out? Hurt!Tony. Not Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or its characters and any copyright infringement is unintended. **

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Paperwork. They've been doing it for the past three hours and frustrated to no ends. The team had finally gotten the one lead earlier this afternoon that ultimately helped them solve the case- a nineteen-day heart wrenching, poignant investigation involving the kidnapping of the Fleet Admiral's six-year-old daughter. The MCRT had conclusively gotten a lead from two patrolling officers and were able to break in to where the kidnappers were staying. Three arrests were made and fairly no injuries. Gibbs, though, might have accidently shoved one of them down some steps and broke the guys nose. But it _was_ an accident after all. The little girl, Jenna, was uninjured other than a recently broken left arm and being in a state of mild shock. For being sealed up almost three weeks, her family was pretty happy with that much. The team, nevertheless, were now suffering through a load of files, forms and reports.

Ziva stood in the center of the bullpen, mumbling to herself. She was bent over the printer, gripping and exasperatedly shaking it. It was probably jammed again. While McGee got up to help her, Gibbs marched out from Vance's office and to his desk. He began writing something as McGee got the printer to work again. Both he and Ziva printed off their reports, gave them to the lead agent and went back to their respective desks.

Gibbs looked up from his notes and looked around the bullpen. Each team member looked drowsy and way beyond exhausted. Tony, still, appeared to have double the amount of forms to fill out on his desk than the rest of the team. He was in his own mindset while his partners were ready to head home. As both McGee and Ziva walked towards the elevator, they hesitated in front of Tony's desk. They looked miserably upon him for a few moments before picking up a few forms from his desk and walking back to their own.

Tony's head snapped up. "It's all right guys." He said tiredly, holding out his hand for the return of the forms "I'm almost done anyway. It'll just be a few minutes."

"And now it will take less time." Ziva told him as she sat down in her chair. She smiled softly at the wide-eyed look she received in return.

"Besides, it's not fair for you to do all the extra work simply because of your senior status," McGee added.

"Hey! I'll have you know that it took a long time to get that standing. But if you wanna help, go right ahead." Tony mumbled before looked back towards his notes and muttered a quiet _thanks_ to his partners.

The extra hands proved to be a great help as all the forms and reports were completely filled out to the T in fifteen minutes time. Gibbs looked on as each team member dropped off the files on his desk.

"Good job." With the praise out of the way, Gibbs got down to more serious matters. "Vance took us off rotation for the next four days. It's been a difficult past few weeks and you've done an outstanding job. Go rest. I don't want to see any of you before next Wednesday." He grinned as they stood gazing at him. "Well, go! Grab your stuff and go home!"

Tony, McGee and Ziva rushed to their desks, picked up their belongings and scurried to the elevator.

"Hey guys," Tony said to them once they were in the elevator. "You wanna go down to that new restaurant on Tingey Street for dinner tomorrow? My treat!"

In truth, Tony wasn't sure if a few days off would be enough for him. They past few weeks were more than stressful and he needed his friends to help him out. He was worried that they would take his offer as a joke and push him away, but McGee stopped him from doubting himself any further.

"You know what? That sounds pretty good." McGee said excitedly. "It's been a while since we all just sat down together."

"Are you going to ask Gibbs or Abby?" Ziva asked.

"Oh, I already asked him earlier," Tony looked disappointed as he responded, "He promised Abby with retiling her washroom or something a few weeks ago and didn't want to push it off any longer." Tony didn't want to make the offer seem awkward, so he continued the only way he knew how- with jokes.

"Yes, I offered to help, you know with my big muscles and all, but he said it was a one-person thing really. So, I guess it's just us three..." he trailed off.

"That is all right," Ziva replied, sensing his nervousness. "It will be fun, just the three of us."

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Gibbs was well-rested and ready to start off a new day when he entered the bullpen on Wednesday. He had spent his weekend off with Abby, helping her redesign her washroom and anything else that needed touch ups in her apartment. Gibbs had felt guilty about declining Tony's offer for dinner, but Abby had put his mind to rest as she told him the rest of the team went out with him. He'll make it up to him tonight after work.

When Gibbs came down from Vance's office, he had expected to be the alone for a few minutes. Once he turned the corner and laid his eyes on Tony, however, anger overrode his concern. His napping senior field agent looked haggard and barely revitalized.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs took no satisfaction of making him jolt, "I told you to take time off. You look like crap. What the Hell have you been doing the past few days?"

"What? No. No, boss. It's not what it looks like," Tony replied through half lidded eyes as he looked up from his desk. "I only went out once and that was dinner with Ziva and McGee. I even told you about that. I don't know- it's just; I think I'm coming down with a cold or something. My head hurts," he added glumly.

"A cold?" Gibbs asked, thinking back to blue lights and revengeful mothers, "You think you can come into the field?"

Ziva and McGee decided to finally come into the office at that moment.

"You do not feel well, Tony?" Ziva asked cunningly. "Are you ill?"

"No! No, I'm not sick! Stop making a mountain out of a mole hole." He tried glaring towards Ziva as she expressed her confusion on the idiom, but his face was starting to feel numb.

"Well, good," Gibbs interrupted, not wanting to put Tony on the spot. "Because we have a case. Gas the truck." Gibbs tossed the keys to the Italian.

To his defense, Tony did try to catch it. It was his arm that decided to ignore him. To anyone else, the slow-responding muscles would be concerning, but the agent put it down to joint pain that came with the common cold. He leaned down with great effort and picked up the keys. Sure it took a few minutes for his eyes to focus and the dizziness to fade away but he's not going to be telling anyone about that. Tony followed his team into the elevator and to the car. He was noticeably slower than them but again; he blamed it on the cold.

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Things were considerably worse at the crime scene. Gibbs was grouchy, Tony wasn't feeling any better and it was snowing. Not the joyful type, with large snowflakes and bright Christmas lights. No, it was wet, slushy and cold. Tony hated it.

McGee and Ziva were assigned sketching and photographing as Tony went to question the witness who found the body. He was having some difficulty getting to that, though. His head was rushing and everything was becoming too blurry. It was just his luck to get sick in the middle of a hot case. Tony wanted to tell the world to stop swaying so much but the sudden thought that it was actually he was swinging told him to be quiet. He wasn't too sure. Still, couldn't he catch a break? _Stupid snow, stupid flu, stupid case,_ he muttered to himself. He was probably acting like a child, but he didn't care.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs yelled. "What's the matter with you? You're swaying all over place."

So it was he and not the world, then.

Pity.

McGee and Ziva observed Tony from where they were crouching. He looked drunk, sick, and confused all rolled into one. The SFA looked unbalanced and his eyes were starting to glaze over. McGee got up and stood protectively near his partner, worry seeping into him.

"You okay, Tony?" McGee asked. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder gently when it seemed like he was going to fall.

"Um, I uh…I don't re-really know," the slurring disturbed them all, even Tony.

Gibbs thought back, wondering if his agent took any medication and these were some side-affects. His gut was telling him to be reasonable, yet he still hoped that the young agent was simply reacting to some medication. This wasn't just the normal cold and they each knew that. And just as Gibbs wanted to walk Tony to their vehicle, the sick agent collapsed.

Gibbs, Ziva and McGee all ran to his side. Try as he might, Tony was barely able to move his right side of his body. His body was growing numb, and it was frightening him more than he would've liked to admit. He tried voicing his alarm but his throat muscles were snubbing him too. Tony panicked, sluggishly waving his left hand back and forth at his throat. Gibbs softly took his jaw in his hand and turned his face towards him.

"Tony," Gibbs said gently. "What's wrong?"

Tony's unfocused eyes flaunted fear, confusion and pain. He gazed sadly at the sky above him before opening and closing is mouth. Other than a few groans, he couldn't speak. Gibbs suddenly looked at the rest of his team in hopelessness. They were just as lost as him. The thought of a desperate Gibbs outright scared the crap out of all of them and Tony didn't want to be the one to cause it.

Tony tried getting up, lifting his head slightly before collapsing once again. He closed his eyes, trying to relax is mind but then Gibbs shook him.

"Hey, DiNozzo, no sleeping on the job." If anyone noticed the slight shakiness to his voice, it wasn't mentioned.

"Buh- Bosss," Tony screeched out. "I, I thi-think I'm gonna gonna call in ssssick today."

TBC

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A/N: Hello! This is my first multi-chapter story and I have written most of it already. It will be around 10 chapters, and will focus on Tony and Gibbs. There won't be much of a case, as this is really just focuses on whumping Tony. I'm willing to admit I may have a problem. Hope you'll bear with me. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

He was fading in and out.

And dying, yes he was dying.

Well at least, that's what it felt like.

Tony's eyes kept fluttering as Gibbs held on to him. He heard voices around him, asking him questions but his head was rushing too fast for him to pay attention. It was getting hard to breath, too. Tony raised his left hand slightly, frankly looking for something to hold on.

Gibbs suddenly sensed his panic and gently squeezed his hand. He put arms under Tony and lifted him against his chest. The lead agent faintly heard McGee telling him an ambulance was on the way, but his focus remained on Tony. Gibbs was at a loss.

What could possibly cause this much and this fast?

Tony suddenly went limp in his arms. It felt like he passed out but, Gibbs noticed that he kept clenching his left fist and his eyes were blinking lethargically. He gazed at Tony and gently placed his hand on the agent's cheek.

"You hanging in there, Tony?"

Tony blinked as his eyes lazily rolled around. He forced his throat muscles to work.

"B'sss? Wha-whatss hap-happnng?"

"Stay with me, Tony. Just hand on, ambulance is on its way."

Tony abruptly gazed upwards towards him, his eyes awash with anguish.

"He-help me, B'ss."But, before Gibbs could assure him, the ambulance rolled through.

Two paramedics came rushing towards them. They quickly got the stretcher prepared and lifted Tony on it as they started asking him questions.

"Sir, can you hear me? Sir?" They got a soft groan in response.

"Pulse ox is 92," the brunette placed an oxygen mask on Tony's mouth and nose, "BP is low."

She continued running off numbers as Gibbs looked on silently, concern etched on his face. While the brunette medic, Gibbs wasn't paying attention when she introduced herself, prepared Tony into the emergency vehicle, he heard the other one questioning his agents.

"Did he take any drugs today? Prescription, Advil, anything?" They younger blonde one asked.

"I don't think so. He said that he might've been coming down with a cold, though." McGee replied. He went on, telling the paramedic about everything that had happened.

As the paramedics finally settled Tony in and were prepared to head off to the hospital, Gibbs ran to their Blue sedan to drive behind them. Ziva and McGee stayed behind to quickly process the wait for backup. They stared at each other wearingly, wondering what the Hell just happened.

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When Ducky and Abby arrived at Bethesda, they found Ziva and McGee sitting on some chairs and Gibbs pacing the hall. Just the look of them put tears to Abby's eyes.

"Gibbs," she whispered. "Is Tony okay? Because he was fine just a few days ago. Was he injured on the case and we didn't know? Maybe that's it. Maybe he just hurt his back or something and he's just feeling it now and so they'll give him some pills and he'll be perfectly fine. Right, Gibbs? Please tell me that's it, please." Her hair was all over the place, her lips were quivering and her eyes shone with tears. It tugged on Gibbs' heartstrings.

"I'm not sure Abs," he looked at her sadly. "They took him for some tests. They said something about an MRI, CT scan and other tests with the rest of the alphabet."

"Don't worry," he said comfortingly, as to not scare her, "You know Tony, it's been a while since he's been injured and he had to make up for that somehow."

So they sat, waiting. Waiting for news, waiting for the doctor, waiting for anything. They waited close to two hours before a doctor came out to see them. They quickly got up from where they were sitting and scurried towards him.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Ogilvie." The tall brunettd introduced. "I'll be Tony's doctor until we find out exactly what is going on."

Before the doctor could continue, Gibbs interrupted him angrily. "What do you mean 'until we find out'? You've been with him for hours. You've done an infinite amount of tests. Just tell me what's wrong with him!"

"As of now, we're waiting for the results of some tests. Our main concern is the paralysis. We don't want it getting to the respiratory system because that could lead to more drastic damages. He is unable to move his right side of the body and he is incapable of contracting most of the facial muscles. He is able to blink though," The doctor waited for the group to absorb what he stated. He didn't want to frighten them but he needed them to know in order for him to diagnose the ill agent quicker.

"Do you know if he had any health problems recently or if he injured his spine?"

"No injuries or sickness," Gibbs replied. "Look, can we see him? Is he conscious, at least?"

"Okay, how about two of you come with me and we can ask him a few questions." The doctor turned around and started walking towards Tony's room. There was no question as to who would go with him. Gibbs simply followed the doctor, while Abby pushed the others aside and joined him.

Once inside the room, Abby flung herself at Tony.

"Tony!" She exclaimed. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Look at you! Are you okay? Are you hurting? Do you need painkillers…Tony?" She looked curiously at the sick man. "You said he was conscious!" She yelled at the doctor. "Look at him, he's passed out!"

"No, he is awake." The doctor had to admit that it didn't seem so. Tony's eyes were half lidded and his body appeared as limp as a rag doll. "I've already mentioned that he can't contract any facial muscles. As you can see, he is sluggishly blinking and tapping his left hand." It looked like Tony was trying to get Abby's attention. The doctor walked to the bed and placed his hand in Tony's left one.

"Special agent DiNozzo," he said gently. "I'm going to ask you a few yes or no questions. I want you to blink twice for no and squeeze your left hand for yes, got it?" He got a soft squeeze in return. Gibbs watched on as the doctor placed a notepad on the table nearby and noted a few points.

"Alright," he began. " Did you injure your spine or head in the past few weeks?" Two blinks.

"Are you taking any medication?" The agent blinked again. "Do you have a headache?" He felt a squeeze in his hand.

"Have you had this headache for weeks?" Blinks. "Days?" Squeeze. "Okay, I'm going to list the days of the past week and I want you to squeeze my hand the day the headaches started. "Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Saturday. Sunday." Squeeze.

The doctor looked up at the other people in the room. "He's been having headaches for the past three days, but I'm wondering; has he been stressed the past few weeks?"

"We've been working on a kidnapping case the past few weeks," Gibbs answered gruffly. "Anyone would be stressed."

"But Gibbs," Abby looked at him sadly, "You know how Tony gets on these types of cases. He must've been super stressed. Like more stressed than normal. And he had that undercover stint before that and re-evaluation is coming up." She suddenly turned towards the Italian when she heard a ghost of a sob.

Silent tears were trickling out of his eyes. Tony's face was flushed and his hair was damp with sweat. He looked miserable. He wasn't able to do anything but be tortured as he listened to the doctor speaking about him. Gibbs pushed the doctor away and stood near Tony' bed. He thumbed the tears away and ruffled Tony's hair. The lead agent bent down so that his mouth was an inch away from his ear.

"I know you're afraid, Tony," he whispered so low that no one else could hear. "Don't worry about anything. You'll be fine- I've got your back. The doctors know what they're doing." Gibbs got up and gently tapped Tony's cheek.

He knew Tony might have not felt anything, but it was enough to get the sentiment across.

He turned to look at the doctor. "So? What's the plan? What are you gonna do?"

"I'll have to wait for the scans, but it might be multiple sclerosis," they heard a soft pant from the bed. "We'll start him off with corticosteroids and insert a nasogastric tube for now. If, after this, he can move his face or can talk we can further treat him. If not and the paralysis gets worse, we'll try something else." The doctor allowed the occupants of the room to absorb the information and left.

"MS?" Abby whispered to Gibbs. "What if it is MS? He can't work with MS! He'll need therapy for the rest of his life!" She turned to look at Tony and noted the reappearance of the tears. She wiped the tears away and hugged him gently. "Don't worry, baby. We'll get through this. Right, Gibbs?"

But Gibbs couldn't respond. He continued staring at the ill agent. His gut was telling him it wasn't MS, but he couldn't give out false hope. He pulled out a chair, positioned it near the bed and sat on it crudely. Even if it was, he'll stick by his protégé's side no matter what.

TBC

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**AN: **I am blown away by all the reviews, favourites and alerts, thank you so much. I hope the story does not let down! I think I replied to all reviews, but if I missed you, that was not my intent. Once again, thank you so much and please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**AN:** I don't even know how to thank you for all the reviews and alerts; you have set the bar so high, I'm not even sure I'll be able to reach it. I sincerely hope I don't dissatisfy. Thank you so much for all your patience- your comments mean everything to me.

Shout out to: tonygirl, AgentD.6, angelscatie, AlexDN, mstictac, EmmettvsJasper, Have Your 6, stargatesg1973, NickTonyK, victoriantealady, Psyche53, tansysam, angelessmey, Sparkiebunny, DS2010, Long Live BRUCAS, Gloworm41, keembur, velveteen habit, Druuu, sopmire, intimidating and all guests for your kind reviews.

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It wasn't MS.

Tony was getting worse.

He couldn't blink anymore, so they had to constantly use eye drops and keep his eyes closed from drying out. Not being able to see while awake scared him more than he would've like to admit.

Tony was now too weak to use his left side and the chance of respiratory failure outright terrified the crap out of him. There were machines and wires all over him.

The ever-present IV tubes were existent, supplementing saline solutions. The heart monitor, the blood pressure cuff, the nasogastric tube and he even had to use an oxygen mask to help deliver supplemental oxygen in case his respiratory system started deteriorating.

The doctors were even thinking about placing scalp electrodes on his brain to measure his cognitive activity. This way they were able to know when he was awake and when he was sleeping.

The emergency defibrillator and a ventilator stood near his bed. And to add insult to injury, they had to insert a catheter.

It was a sad sight, really.

With both Tony down and Gibbs constantly at his side, Vance had assigned the case to another team. As such, the team was stationed in Tony's room while he was sleeping.

McGee and Abby were sitting near the window and Ziva was standing next to his bed, while Gibbs and Ducky were talking to the doctor outside the hospital room.

They were told that Tony wasn't feeling any pain, but instead he was suffering from numbness and severe drowsiness; that he was in torment of some form of muscle paralysis.

"Do you think he will be okay," asked Ziva, as she gazed sadly towards Tony, "The doctors do not know what it is yet, no? What happens if they are not able to figure it out?"

"Hey! Positive energy! What if Tony hears you?" Abby interrupted. "He _will_ be fine. They just need to know what it is, that's all. And the lumbar puncture already ruled out spinal injury, stroke and MS. What else could cause paralysis, huh? Not much- that means we're narrowing it down."

"Actually, it could be Lyme disease, polio, Guillain–Barré syndrome or even-hey!" McGee was interjected by a punch to his arm.

"What did I just say?" Abby glared at him, "Positive energy! Besides, it's not Lyme because they haven't found any tick bites. They searched every inch of his body, including his ears and hair. And polio?"

She paused, giving him an intimidating frown. "Really, McGee? Even Gibbs would've eliminated that by now with the lack of other symptoms. But…," she rolled her eyes to the ceiling as if thinking about it, "you know what, it could be GBS."

Just at that moment, Dr. Ogilvie entered the room followed by a nurse, Ducky and Gibbs.

"That is exactly what we were just discussing, my dear," Ducky told her. The medical examiner turned to the doctor for further explanation, as the nurse went to write something in Tony's medical clipboard.

"Well," he started, "Guillain- Barré syndrome fits all his symptoms; the paralysis, the difficulty of swallowing or speaking, the facial muscle weakness and eye abnormalities."

"We believe," Ducky cut through, "that if we start him on intravenous immunoglobulins, symptoms should fade away in about two weeks. He could have a full recovery in just a few months!"

Gibbs went to stand near Tony's bed. As Ducky continued explaining to the team what steps were needed for recovery, Gibbs placed his hand firmly in Tony's left one. He kept it there, gently stroking it with his thumb, waiting for any response from the SFA. Almost forty minutes passed before he felt a delicate ghost twitch. Gibbs pinched his fingers and daintily opened Tony's eyes.

"Hey, you okay?"

He got no response. No blinks or squeezes or anything. Tony's eyes were glazed over and his body was almost cold to the touch. If one weren't paying attention, they'd think he was dead.

Gibbs pushed those thoughts away before they spiraled out of control. He wasn't a religious man, but he prayed to God, Allah, Buddha and any other holy spirit out there that it was this GBS thing they were talking about and Tony was on the road to recovery. It hurt him to see his friend like this- miserable, sick, broken hearted and downright depressed.

Tony didn't deserve this. No one did, but especially not Tony.

He already had the plague; it wasn't fair for him to suffer through another life threatening disease in such a short time span. The one thing, Gibbs hated was not knowing all the facts surrounding him. He understood how Tony got infected with the plague, how about this?

"Hey Doc," Gibbs called to the physician, gently closing Tony's eyes to avoid irritating them, "How do you get Gilligan Bar anyway?" He heard Abby snort.

"Guillain- Barré syndrome," the doctor corrected, "There are several causes actually. It's usually caused from the _Campylobacter jejuni_ bacteria and found in infected animals or soil. It could be an immune reaction to the influenza virus, but most cases have no apparent cause." The doctor received a glare from Gibbs, sending off signals that detailed background information about the infectious agent itself was not necessary.

"The illness," continued Dr. Ogilvie, "becomes autoimmune when there is myelin damage on the peripheral nerve. However, unlike other illnesses that cause paralysis, it has no permanent damage to the brain or the spine," the doctor added reassuringly.

"So," McGee cut in, "it could pretty much be from anything."

"But that's not fair!" Abby suddenly cried from where she standing. "He's already been through so much. Why do bad things happen to good people?"

"I'm sorry. In a few minutes we'll be starting him on the immunoglobulins and we'll hopefully see some results soon. I'll leave you with him for now."

As Dr. Ogilvie left the room, the occupants of the room stared at each other.

"What do we do now?" Abby asked.

"_We _are doing nothing, _you_," Gibbs pointed to the rest of the team, "are going home to rest. There's nothing you can do here.

Before they had the chance to argue, Ducky shared a look with the team leader and herded the rest of the team out the door.

The room was suddenly eerily silent. Gibbs wanted nothing more than to yell and punch a wall, but he couldn't do that Tony.

"You still awake, Tony," touching Tony's hand as he spoke.

He felt something, not enough to classify as a squeeze but enough to feel a difference in his hand.

It might just be his mind playing tricks on him.

Gibbs brushed his other hand over Tony's head and laid it gently on his forehead. He left it there for several minutes, speaking softly to the Italian about nothing in specific and avoided talking about their present mess.

Gibbs continued talking to him as a nurse came in, changed the saline bag and started a new IV on the other hand. She told him it was his treatment, the immunoglobulins. He didn't know what exactly immunoglobulins were, but the innocent looking nurse looked like she knew what she was doing. The lead agent wasn't even sure if Tony was awake or had fallen asleep, but he felt he owed it to Tony to continue.

What he didn't know was that Tony was fully awake.

And he hated it.

He was appreciative of having Gibbs by his side, but they young agent was being forced to suffer by the fact that he couldn't move or in fact do anything.

He hated everything. He wanted it to stop. He's been doing his best to stay healthy and avoid the flu or any types of illnesses because he knew how much pain they brought him. He didn't understand why his body was suddenly betraying him.

This illness, this disease, this syndrome came out of nowhere but the doctors kept on and on about how it was apparently a long time coming. Nothing made sense and it was absolutely torturing him. He couldn't do anything about it and it was starting to get hard to even think. He'd rather die right this second than slowly shrivel up to a vegetable and waste away.

The only thing stopping him of giving up right then and there was Gibbs. This man, one that has been through thick and thin with him, has stuck by his side this whole time.

If Gibbs believed that everything would be okay, then he trusted him. He had to fight, no matter what. He had no strength left within him but he would do it for Gibbs.

Tony, with his eyes closed and numb body, stayed awake until he no longer could and faded away with the soothing words of his leader surrounding him.

"You hang in there, you got that? They know what it is now, so you'll be as good as new in a few weeks."

It was a simple comment. One often said in times of illness and pain. It was said too soon.

Later, Gibbs watched as Tony chocked on nothing but air. He watched as Tony's body jerked uncontrollably and his face turned a frightening shade of grey. He watched as several doctors and nurses frantically moved around, trying to save the agent's life. He watched as they inserted a ventilator and told him to expect the worse.

Tony was dying.

TBC

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AN: Next chapter up Friday, and it's my favourite chapter. Oh, and I used one line from my favourite character of a certain show (no longer aired). I will give virtual brownies to whoever could guess it. Also, because some people were wondering, this is not a disability or chronic illness fic. I love happy endings way too much. Thanks for reading and please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

AN: I probably sound like a broken record, but thank you so much for all the alerts and reviews. And because I haven't said it in awhile, NCIS and Tony don't belong to me sadly.

Shout out to: Darkwriter69, B00kw0rm92, FuTuR3 4NsChIk, keembur, angelscatie, Long Live BRUCAS, sopmire, victoriantealady, DS2010, AlexDN, AgentD.6, tansysam, K9Lasko, velveteen habit, Gloworm41, Sparkiebunny, gotgoats and all the guests for your amazing reviews.

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Tony blinked his eyes open and slowly sat up. He worked his jaw roughly and looked around the empty room. He had expected a team member at his side, and was a bit disappointed actually, but the fact that he was able to move again was thrilling enough for him. Still in his hospital gown, Tony gently got out of bed and walked towards the door.

He hadn't completely grasped what was going on yet, or what had happened to him, but he wasn't just going to lie in bed while his body finally started obeying his commands.

Tony opened the hospital door slightly and peaked out, in the slight case of being caught slipping out by someone. Like Gibbs.

The hall outside his room was completely empty, though and he realized that he wouldn't mind being caught- if that meant that he would at least have someone explain to him what was happening.

"Hello? Gibbs? Anyone?" Tony suddenly called out.

He turned the right corner and almost squealed out of happiness when he saw a nurse walking towards her station. He followed her as she sat down and leaned on the desk flirtatiously.

"Hi," he said smoothly, "Do you mind if I use a phone to call my boss?"

The nurse carried on with her files, unresponsive to him. Tony would have been offended, had he actually understand what was going on. She continued walked around her station, ignoring him as if he wasn't even there.

"Okay, um... can you please call my doctor? My name is Anthony DiNozzo, if you need it."

But she didn't hear him. Instead, she picked up a few files and started writing.

The senior field agent got quickly irritated. _Can someone please explain what the Hell is going on?_

"Excuse me?" Tony snapped his fingers, "okay, you know what...". The Italian walked back towards his room and yanked the door open.

There weren't many things that truly stunned the agent, but at that moment he didn't know how to feel.

There, near his bed, sat Ziva talking to what appeared to be his own body. Tony slowly shuffled towards the hospital bed, trying to ignore the fluttering in his stomach. He reached the bed, and realized that he was looked down at his own body- lying on a hospital bed and looking deader than the corpses in Ducky's autopsy drawers. The agent was attached to a ventilator and more medical apparatuses than he could count. Flustered, he forcefully grabbed onto Ziva and shook her.

"Hey! Ziva, can you see me?" she remained unresponsive and carried on speaking, "Oh, come on! Ziva, Ziva listen to me!"

Waving his hands around, Tony started panicking.

"Oh God," he panted. "I'm dying and now I'm a ghost. Oh my God, I'm dying. I'm dead." Tony jumped onto the bed and laid down into his resting body. He closed his eyes and virtually tried connecting his spirit to his form.

"Get up, get up, _getupgetupgetup_." Tony mumbled to himself. He repeatedly opened and closed his eyes, as if any moment now he would wake up and realize it was all just a horrible dream. The agent quickly sat up again, this time trying to lift both his soul and body at the same time but nothing happened.

"Wake up!" Tony pinched himself. "Come on, just wake up. Please…please get up."

Tony looked dejectedly around the room, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears.

"Oh, come on DiNozzo! Is that the best you can do?"

Tony's head spun around towards the window. There stood Kate, as pretty as she ever was, leaning on the wall and smiling.

"Don't be an idiot, Tony. You're not dead. You're not a ghost either. I guess you can call this a delusion, if you will. " Kate explained.

Tony stared at her, enchanted by her appearance. "Kate? What's going on? Where are we?"

"Stop asking me so many questions. You know I'm not really here, right? _You_… you're just somewhere in between life and death. You'll die if you don't get better soon," she added abruptly.

"It's a dream," Tony started panting, "It was all just a dream. Any second now, I'm going to wake up and I'll be back at home in my own Thai bed sheets."

"Be realistic, Tony" Kate replied in a soft voice, "Seriously, the doctors are thinking that you've given up and not even trying anymore. The longer you stay here the harder it gets to get back."

"I know you're dead an all and I shouldn't talk bad about the dead, but you're being really useless here, you know that, right? You don't think I've been trying to get back?" Tony yelled. "What the Hell am I supposed to do? I'm still fighting but I'm going postal as I have no clue what is going on with my body!"

"Fight, Tony. That's all I can help you with. Try going back to sleep, but don't give up. I don't think Gibbs can handle a loss like that," she smiled kindly, "They need you more than you think."

The senior field agent stared at her with misery and hopelessness. He understood now, that he was probably in a coma and meekly dreaming, but he didn't know how to continue.

"You think this is like the movie Awake, where Hayden Christensen gets back just on time?" Tony overrode his frightened emotions with anger, "No! It's not! So now I'm here, stuck in this wormhole- dying because I don't know what's left to do!"

"I'm sorry." She suddenly didn't look the least bit sorry. He could tell because she was smiling, "but this _is_ like Awake. It's an out of body experience, per se. Anyway, I'm only here because you want me here. Apparently, your subconscious likes me too much." Kate paused, "Kidding aside Tony, you have to try harder. You probably think there's nothing left for you to do, but there's that one bit left of you to push. You're not dead yet, so suck it up and fight."

Tony gazed at her sadly, the anger draining out of him. "How? Please, just tell me how. Help get back? I'm gonna die and I don't know how."

"You know how, Tony. You can fight." She smiled again at him, "Think of your family and what's to lose. Think of Gibbs." And as cliché as ever, Tony watched as Kate faded away and disappeared. He called out for her, but she didn't come back.

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He felt a secure humming surround him and wondered if mosquitoes were attacking him. Serves him right for all the mosquito catchers he's placed in his apartment. Tony vaguely remembered taking to Kate, telling him to fight. But the sense of a hospital atmosphere, and the fact that he still wasn't able to move, told him that he might have pushed himself subconsciously somehow. He didn't know how. In fact, he didn't really care; as long as no more ghost theories came out and his mind was reconnected with his body, he was all good.

The senior field agent felt plastic in his throat, and realized that the ventilator wasn't going to go away anytime soon. This was getting too old, too fast. If the doctors _still_ don't know what was wrong with him, then his body must really hate him. He wasn't even sure if he was awake, asleep, in a coma, or having an out of body experience again. Tony tried to clear his head mentally but after a few moments, the humming eventually turned into words. He heard a voice, Ziva possibly, speaking to him.

"… You really scared him. He thought you died or at least that is what I have heard. He was just…just so sad. I have never seen him like that before. He was being nice, which according to McGee, is not a good sign."

Wait, who… Gibbs? What did Tony do this time? He's been lying on a bed for the past few days and now he's upset Gibbs! The agent mused on, wondering if he was closer to the brink of death than he thought. He must've done something really stupid. You know, other than the fact that he was still sick and no one knows why.

Ziva was still talking. _I should really pay attention_, he thought.

"The doctors are still not too sure what might be wrong with you but we are all meeting up in an hour to help disuse the past few weeks. They think that this may help narrow down possibilities. I am not even sure if you can hear me right now, but I wanted to tell you that we love you." She paused, gazing sadly at his closed eyes before whispering, "Please get better, Tony. I do not know what we would do if something bad happened."

He noticed that she was faintly echoing what Kate had told him earlier. And while he understood the sentiment, he was starting to get just a little bit annoyed. What gave them the right to think he hasn't been trying to get better? Yes, he shouldn't be thinking this way as they have been trying to help him through this from the beginning, but he's earned a small outburst by now.

It's not like he can mentally tell his brain to stop being sick and it would. It was his body that was betraying him. His tortuous, deceiving, numb body, where he couldn't even feel pain was at fault. Tony, the ever-competent investigator, finally accepted that he was probably in a coma. So, in compliance to what everyone has been commanding him to do, Tony continued fighting. He might not know what 'fighting' is exactly, but he knew that it wasn't fair of him to give up just yet. If they were meeting up later to help diagnose him, then he'll at least stay until then. Tony rested and fought on- fought to breath, fought to activate his brain circuits and fought to live.

It was the least he could do.

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AN: This is not a Tiva fic, if anyone was wondering. I love the Tony/Gibbs dynamic too much. Next chapter we find out what's really wrong with Tony. While I got some guesses as to what line I stole from another show in the previous chapter, no one guessed correctly. It was "Why do bad things happen to good people?" beautifully said by Ross from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Please review and once again thank you so much for everything you've done for me so far!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: NCIS does not belong to me.**

**I really really **_**really **_**hope that this chapter doesn't suck. I feel like it's going to be so anticlimactic. It's really short since I've been so busy and barely edited it. Does anyone want to be my beta? Please?**

**Thanks for all the reviews and alerts. Shout out to: **B00kw0rm92, keembur, Scat210, Long Live BRUCAS, Sparkiebunny, sopmire, AlexDN, DS2010, NickTonyK, tansysam, angelscatie, Gloworm41, intimidating, meilea2010, Darkwriter69, mstictac, jessieleigh528 and all guests for the reviews.

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"Okay," Dr. Ogilvie started, "I know this is not usually the best way to diagnose a patient but our diagnostic team here are doing all they can and may need more information. I thought this would be the best form of action since we're all here now."

The team was in a conference room on the third floor of the hospital, trying to help the doctors diagnose what Tony was ill with. Tony's doctor sat at the end of the table facing Gibbs. To his right sat a young doctor from the diagnostic team with Ziva next to her and Ducky, McGee and Abby on the other side. Everyone looked dejected, tired and concerned.

"As we already talked about, I do believe that his symptoms first appeared during our break after the kidnapping case. About 10 days ago," Ducky looked towards McGee then Ziva, "Do you know if he went camping or out of the city during those days at all? I believe he mentioned that he was going out with you, did he not?"

"I don't think so. I mean yea he went out-" McGee started.

"No," Gibbs cut him off, "The day we came back, I asked him and he said he didn't do anything. He knows better than to lie to me. He went out with David and McGee for dinner. That's it."

"Maybe there's some form of toxin in his car," Abby suddenly stated, "You know him and cars, he takes care of them more than he takes care of himself, but he wouldn't dare change the interior design. Maybe he got infected with some type of mold."

"It could be a slow progressive demyelination infection that occurred from an over exposure to that toxin," Dr. Ogilvie pondered, "but some symptoms would have showed over time; headaches, joint pain or even fainting."

They were quiet for a moment, desperate to come up with something…anything. Something happened that weekend, and they were going to figure it out today, no matter what else came up.

Ducky started talking again, trying to reel them back in.

"We can take a sample and test the car's interior but may we please go back to the day you all had dinner," Ducky asked Ziva and McGee kindly. "I wonder, Ziva, what did you have that night."

"I am not sure what I ate might have to do with anything, but I had some chicken with a salad and coke." Ziva replied.

Ducky then turned towards McGee and asked the same question.

"Um, well I had the same except I had fries too. Tony, for some reason, was feeling experimental that day and asked for the special."

The all looked at him with intrigue, waiting for the description of the meal, but McGee remained oblivious. He wasn't exactly with them at that moment as he was thinking back to that night, trying to pinpoint any fact that might have caused Tony to be sick.

"Well?" Gibbs barked. "What was it?"

McGee flinched, "Oh, um, he had something like smoked fish and some veggies. He didn't like it at first, but ended up almost inhaling it and ordered more to take home."

"If he was on a diet, I would know," Abby added. "Wait, do you think it has to do with what he's eating. Oh my God, what if it is? What if he has to be healthy for the rest of his life? He will be devastated! No more pizza, no donuts, no more hazelnut coffee…. oh no," she trailed off.

They were quiet for a few minutes, before Dr. Ogilvie spoke up suddenly spoke up excitedly.

"I think I know what's wrong with him." He said happily, "Have any of you guys been watching the news?"

The team stayed silent, watching him with identical grim expressions. "We've been working on a case for the past few weeks. There was no time to watch TV," Gibbs said gruffly.

Abby snickered while the rest of team stared back at the doctor, wide-eyed and curious. It would have been funny, had it not been such a serious matter. Suddenly, Ducky started murmuring to himself. The MCRT swung their gazes from one doctor to the other. Dr. Mallard continued incoherently, repeating the word 'yes' over and over, when Dr. Ogilvie finally explained.

"_Clostridium botulinum_," he all but yelled as if it answered everything. "There was a recent small outbreak in the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie," he paused then started jotting things down in his notebook.

"It would explain everything, the heachaches, the paralysis, the suddenness of it all. I can't believe we didn't think of this earlier. It's just so rare," he added as he continued writing.

Ducky took note of the confused looks and explained what the doctor was talking about.

"_Clostridium botulinum_," he began, "is an anaerobic, spore forming rod that produces a neurotoxin which causes flaccid muscle paralysis. In adults, it is often the result of improperly canned food or inaccurately processed low-acid foods. However, about two to three weeks ago, various fish types in Lake Erie were infected from the spores. In our case, the restaurant that our dear friends went to, might be cooking contaminated fish." Ducky added grimly.

"If that _is_ the case," he continued, " then Anthony is not the only one endangered. We must take a fish sample and test it for spores. Nonetheless, if the results come back positive, then Anthony can be treated and may even recover fully in a few months."

Ducky turned towards fellow Dr. Ogilvie while the team started packing up and got ready to leave. "What's so surprising is how rare it is. In fact, a friend of mine in medical school, oh way back in 1968, was also infected…" Ducky trailed off as he noticed the rest of the team leaving the room.

"Oh pity," Dr. Mallard exclaimed, turning to Dr. Ogilvie, "They missed the best part."

The medical practitioners picked up their bags and walked out the door, "What's the best part?" Ogilvie asked.

"The poor boy got sick from eating a contaminated sausage in a- would you believe it- sausage eating contest. And to add bad luck to injury, his dish of sausages were the only ones infected."

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"Alright," Gibbs barked out in the hallway, "McGee, you and Ziva go to the diner and get samples of their fish. You give samples both to Abby and to the hospital. I want to be absolutely sure this is what's causing Tony to be sick. I'm taking Abby back to base then coming back here. I better have results in two hours."

"Sir, yes, sir," Abby saluted as she walked behind the probationary field agents. "Oops," she ran back towards Gibbs, blushing. "I forgot where I was going for a moment."

"Let's go," Gibbs ordered curtly, a frown etched on his face. He heard her mumble an apology as she walked behind him.

He hadn't meant to be gruff with her, but this thing was dragging the life out of him. There were just too many yesses than no's, and it was throwing him off.

The fluttering in his gut had diminished slightly when they talked to the doctors and he was assured that this was the reason of his agent's illness- but he knew that this was still just the beginning. Tony had a long road ahead of him and Gibbs was determined to make that easy for him. He just hoped that there weren't any left over symptoms that could effect his career.

Tony's job was his life, his friendships- his family. Without it, Gibbs knew how much it would hurt him.

Later, when Ziva and McGee gave the samples to Abby and she had tested it, Gibbs was sure- a hundred percent confident in fact- that the samples would come back positive for the spores that they were testing. That they would be able to finally treat Tony and he would start the road of recovery. That no more false negatives were possible.

But when the words, "It's negative," came out of her lips he felt every single drop of blood rush out of his head and the world crush down around him.

TBC

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AN: Please, please don't kill me. It's not what you think. Okay, maybe it is but I'm not dragging the diagnosis out any more. Think happy thoughts- good things are coming, I promise!

And so sorry for the delay. Midterms this week with finals starting next week mean I have no life until December 20th. I'll try to update the next chapter by Tuesday but please be patient. Thank you all for reading and please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

AN: This chapter might also have some OOC-ness but I thought that it would make sense in a situation like this. No time to edit. No life right now.

Also, thank you so so much for all your reviews- we've surpassed the 100 review mark!

Shout out to: Long Live BRUCAS, velveteen habit , keembur, jessieleigh528, Sparkiebunny, AgentD.6, Meilea2010, NickTonyK, B00kw0rm92, ncis fan, Psyche53, mstictac, CSIGeekFan, angelscatie, AlexDN, tansysam, vinkii, victoriantealady and all guests.

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_Earlier_

As Gibbs was about to enter Tony's hospital room a few hours later, a ball of black pigtails crashed into him.

"Gibbs!" Abby cried. "It's negative! The test is negative! What do we do now? I thought that for sure it was from the fish."

Gibbs felt the blood rushing from his face and his heart drop down to his feet. He was at a complete loss. There was nothing left to do. The lead agent hid his concern, though, desperate to keep his sense of anxiety hidden.

Gibbs brought Abby close to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her soothingly. "The fish isn't contaminated?" He hid his distress when Abby shook her head. The lead agent was hoping it was from the diner- not that he wanted anyone else to get sick- he simply wanted his agent to be finally diagnosed and treated.

"Do Dr. Ogilvie and Ducky know?" He asked quietly.

"We do," Ogilvie intruded from behind them. The fact that the doctor was able to sneak up behind Gibbs showed Gibbs how far off track he really was.

"What is most confusing though, is that we had to test Tony's stool, blood and gastric secretions sample to confirm and those were positive with _botulinum_ spores. Dr. Mallard and I are ecstatic!" The doctor noted the grim faces staring back at him and quickly continued his train of thought.

"If he is not infected from the restaurant, that means the restaurant is not spreading or causing an outbreak. He probably got infected from something at home. The point is, we can treat him and he may be able recover in a few months!"

The sudden turn of events was too much and Gibbs sat heavily on a nearby chair. He sighed loudly before shoving his hand though his hair and dragging it down his face.

"Good." Gibbs smiled slightly as he looked up. He was a human after all and this piece of information sure made him happy.

Abby was jumping up and down as she hastily took out her phone and prepared to call the team about the update. Gibbs looked at her sadly; God, this thing took the life out of him. He wanted to get out of the hospital and start helping Tony with his recovery as soon as possible. To do that, they still needed to confirm how DiNozzo got infected, so he turned to look at Abby.

"Abby," he told her gently, "you and McGee go to Tony's apartment and figure out what he may have got infected with. I've gotta talk to Ducky."

Abby gave Gibbs a tight squeeze before leaving. He felt guilty for ordering the exhausted looking scientist, but he knew that nothing would stop her from helping Tony. Gibbs took out his cell to call Ducky, but he was roughly bumped into.

"What the-", Gibbs practically shouted. He looked up, ready to rip a new one to the nurse that had accidently shoved him, but saw Ducky turn the corner and ignored her; glaring at her as she passed him.

He was stressed, exhausted and he needed coffee damn it.

"Oh Jethro, just the man I was looking for. I have good news for you! Tony-"

"Is positive for botulism poisoning I know." Gibbs cut him off. "I was told, so what'll happen now…in simple English."

"I've always wondered how you did that. Never mind, now that we know what Anthony is infected with, we can start him off with a botulism antitoxin. The antitoxin blocks the neurotoxin from further circulation in the blood and advanced spread of the pathogen. This way we can treat his other symptoms and recover." Ducky didn't want to give our false hope though and anyway, the lead agent probably knew what he was about to say anyway.

"But you must understand, Jethro, that even after he's been treated with it, he still has a long way ahead of him. The paralysis added with the respiratory failure will see him in rehabilitation for months to come.Anthony will remain on the ventilator and in intensive care for several weeks so that his axons and nerves may renew." Ducky told him sadly.

"He'll take as long as he needs if it means he'll live. Have you given him the antitoxin yet?"

"Dr. Ogilvie is on his way to do so. Jethro," Ducky paused for emphasis, "I'm confidant Anthony will recover soon, but there is nothing more for you to do here. Go home, take a shower. I'm going home as well, there is not much we can do now. But you and the team have had a very stressful time as of late, go rest for God's sake!"

Gibbs wanted to say something else, but the look he received from Ducky made him change his mind. He gave a curt nod before throwing a quick '_call me if anything changes'_ over his back and walked away.

Instead of leaving the hospital right away though, Gibbs walked to Tony's hospital room. He had been too busy redirecting their current case to another team, talking to doctors and filling out forms to actually sit with his ill agent.

As Gibbs was reaching for the knob of Tony's room, he hesitated slightly. He was worried, honest to God, worried. He was worried Tony wouldn't able to fully recover, he was worried that he wouldn't have his senior field agent on his six anymore, he was worried about losing his son. Gibbs roughly shook his head, as if it would physically shove away those thoughts. He opened the door, grabbed the first chair he saw and sat near Tony's bed.

The senior field agent looked horrible. His face was pale, almost grey, and with less colour than the victims in Ducky's autopsy drawers. There were machines sneaking out from all over his body. His hair grew a bit too, reaching over his ears.

"If you could see yourself now, Tony, you'd probably freak out more than that time a cat attacked you at a crime scene and you fainted."

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The humming was back, Tony thought. But this time, the voice was thicker, more husky- definitely not Ziva again. Tony concentrated hard, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

He hadn't heard any voices for a while and it made him desperate. Tony wasn't too sure if any of the team ever actually did come and speak to him, but it made him feel better anyway. The times where he was alone, with no one near his side and all he could sense was the faint smell of a hospital made his stomach lurch.

He smiled internally; the soft touches and sounds were calming and more soothing than he though possible. He might be dying and probably hallucinating but he thinks Gibbs was talking to him this time, and dare he say it, gently for that matter. He faded out, content with soft sounds surrounding him, but still doing his best to focus on the words being spoken.

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Gibbs smiled, reaching out gently to move Tony's hair away from his eyes.

"God Tony," he sighed. He's heard of how talking to unconscious patients may actually help recovery and knew he had to give it a try.

"They know what's wrong." Gibbs murmured shakily, "They're sure this time, no more guesses."

This talking thing was really hard, Gibbs thought.

"I promised Ducky to go home and rest, so I can't stay for long, I just had to make sure you weren't thinking of dying or anything."

He's always wondered why he needed to explain himself when it came to Tony.

"I need you on my six, so you better get ready to do everything you can to come back to work."

He'll help him every step of the way obviously. Gibbs will be ready to go through the ups and downs with him, but if it means getting Tony back, he'll do it.

"God Tony," he said abruptly, shoving a hand through his hair.

Gibbs closed his eyes- the pressure behind his eyes suddenly too much and chest unexpectedly tight. The lead agent opened his eyes and stood up slowly on trembling legs. He patted Tony's head softly before tucking him in.

"Get well soon, son."

As Gibbs turned his back to him and walked away, a single tear made it's way down Tony's face.

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AN: The end part was kind off fluffy, and not that possible, but there have been cases where coma patients shed tears- even though most of those times it's more physical then mental. Tony wakes up in next chapter! Comfort coming up in next few chapters too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**AN: Longer chapter for the shorter past few ones. Thank you for all the reviews, I appreciate every single ones (even guests, I love you too). NCIS does not belong to me. **

**Shout out to: **Meilea2010, velveteen habit, DS2010, B00kw0rm92, NickTonyK, malin2011, Sparkiebunny, Megth, Long Live BRUCAS, AlexDN, sopmire, angelscatie, tansysam, vinkii and all guests for your kind reviews.

Special thanks to Anjelik (whom this chapter is dedicated to) for being the most amazing and kindest person I've had the pleasure to speak to. Seriously, go read her stories; hopefully she has time in the near future to finish her latest one.

On with the show…

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It was silly, really. In fact, it was almost embarrassing.

Abby and Tim had carefully sampled everything in Tony's fridge and anything else possible of releasing contaminants. The exhausted forensic scientist stayed up all night testing all samples, determined in getting to the bottom of Tony's illness. When she finally isolated the contaminated sample, she was almost angry with Tony. The only food contaminated was the leftover salmon that he brought in from the restaurant. While the fish itself was not contaminated in the first place, the way Tony packaged it allowed for bacterial growth. It was so simple, and yet it wasn't. Tony got infected, and almost died, from not wrapping his food safely. The container he had used was just the right environment for pathogenic growth, that when Tony ate the salmon, he had ingested the infecting spores as well.

"Seriously, Tony," Abby sighed. "You're going to be so angry with yourself when you find out."

She picked up her cellphone and dialed Gibbs' number. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hi, bossman! How's Tony?"

"Same."

"What's that supposed to mean? Give me something, Gibbs. I've been working my butt off and I just want some good news. Is that too much to ask?" She heard Gibbs sigh. Maybe she went a bit ahead of herself; he must be exhausted too.

"He's still on the ventilator and will be for the next few weeks. They've given him an antitoxin or something and he'll need extensive care for a while." Gibbs heard her gasp and quickly continued, "but they said he'll have full recovery, albeit a slow one."

"Well, even I know that. Nothing keeps Anthony DiNozzo Junior down." She was silent for a few seconds before she spoke up again.

"Are you sure?" She whispered, fatigue seeping out of each word.

"Don't worry Abbs, he'll be fine. What did you find?" he asked, hoping to remove her essence of vulnerability.

"Oh, I totally forgot that's why I called you. Please, don't be angry with him Gibbs. I know it's something really silly and even Evan- he's the cute three year old that I babysit sometimes- understands proper food handling but he's really tired Gibbs and totally not thinking of-"

"Abby! What are you talking about?"

"It's his fault," she blurted out, almost feeling guilty about exposing the sick agent.

"He did this to himself! Jeez, Gibbs, he got sick and almost died because he didn't wrap the salmon properly! Do you know how stupid that is? And fish! Everyone knows to be extra careful with fish!" She added a loud gruff for extra measure.

"Come on, Abbs. Be reasonable, every does mistakes."

Abby curiously looked at the phone to make sure whom she was talking to.

"Is this even Gibbs?" She got a snort in reply.

"Okay, okay," Abby, continued, "I guess I'm just tired. I can't believe I even got upset with him- at least we know the cause. I'm gonna go home now, Gibbs. Oh and Ziva, McGee, Jimmy and I already cleaned up Tony's apartment and got rid of the contaminants properly. You just take care of Tony, okay?"

"You got it," he replied before hanging up.

Back at the hospital, Gibbs looked once more at the unconscious agent before walking out. He spoke quietly for a few minutes with the doctor before heading home to rest. The next few weeks were going to be long.

And they were slow.

Tony was never left alone. Each day, someone had visited him- talked to him, kept him up to date, or simply watched over him. Sometimes his teammates came alone and sometimes they came in groups, but he was never left alone. It was nice, really. A calming effect for all of them, making sure he was still alive, breathing and on his way to recovery.

Ducky visited every day, checking up on Tony and murmuring to him his medical updates and of 'how well he was doing'. Whenever Jimmy came to visit him every few days, he'd always talk about anything other than work. He'd mention scores of football and basketball games. He'd tell him what was the latest classic movie played on the screen. It didn't matter what he talked about, but it was always anything to keep his mind off work, just in case Tony was actually paying attention and likely to get upset. Jimmy wasn't too sure how Tony would react with the extended time off necessary for recovery, but he knew the senior field agent wouldn't be happy with it.

Abby and McGee often came together when they visited Tony. The forensic scientist would always bring something with her; whether it was flowers, balloons or magazines, she always had a gift in her hands. They often told each other jokes or stories of bowling nuns and new video games- simply content in being in Tony's presence, seeing him alive and on the mend.

Ziva was a different story. She did not like the visiting hours- 30-minute time intervals during peak times were too impeding. No, she usually snuck in early in the mornings often on her way to the navy base. To her friends, Ziva gave off the presence that she was often silent during her visits, but instead she usually sang. She chanted soft tunes, ones taught to her by family members in the past. Sometimes she hummed Sinatra, as she knew it had always been a favourite of Tony's. Whatever it was, it was soothing to both herself, and even if she did not know it, Tony as well.

Friends he knew outside of work, including neighbours and the local basketball team he often played with came to visit him as well, even if it was just for a few minutes.

While each person, each visit was appreciated by Tony; no visits were as comforting as Gibbs'. Ever since Gibbs' first visit after the diagnosis, he remained silent whenever he went to see him. Instead, soft touches put through his emotions. Gibbs would pat his arm, rub his head, and tuck him in, knowing that the touches were enough to get the sentiment across.

Sometimes it got hard for Gibbs. He'd be in the middle of a hot case, turn towards Tony's desk and expect him to be working on the next lead, but instead he'd find the green agent Vance assigned as a temp. It took all of Gibbs' strength to not strangle the new agent whenever he made a rookie mistake.

It was a long month, indeed.

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Tony was on the ventilator for almost a month, 26 days to be exact, before the doctor finally decided that he was ready to start weaning him off the sedatives. Over the past few weeks, Tony was dissuaded slowly from the breathing aperture so that he could start learning to breath on his own. Anyone passing by gave a silent cheer whenever the senior field agent took a breathe without any aid.

The head nurse had contacted both Ducky and Gibbs when Dr. Ogilvie was prepared to extubate.

"He should be waking up soon," Dr. Ogilvie explained to the ME and lead agent, when they entered his room. "He hasn't been given any sedatives for a few hours and we believe that Tony's healthy enough to start breathing completely on his own-or at least, with a nasal cannula."

Tony started grimacing shortly, showing signs of waking up. Gibbs stood to one side of the bed with Ducky on his side, while Dr. Ogilvie and a nurse stood on the other.

"Tony? Can you hear me?" Gibbs asked, gently picking up the limp hand, hoping for a response.

There was a slight eye twitch, before a sliver of eyes cracked open. It was obvious confusion and fright was settling in, so the doctor quickly intruded.

"Tony," the medical practitioner began, "You've been on the ventilator for a while now but it's time to extubate. We're going to need your help, so you hang there, got it?" He explained not unkindly.

Tony's eyes were already drooping though. The nurse and doctor quickly prepared to remove the tube before he fell back asleep. As the young nurse positioned Tony's head, the doctor prepared to pull out the tube.

"Okay, Tony, I'm going to pull now and you need to try to cough. I know you're tired, but it'll hurt a lot less if you help me out here."

The senior field agent blinked his eyes lethargically in response and gave the slightest of nods. At that moment, the doctor pulled on the tube expertly, effectively extubating.

As Tony started coughing, the pretty nurse on his side started preparing the oxygen tank. On the other side of the bed, Gibbs held Tony's hand in his own. He felt soft squeezes whenever Tony coughed, and while it was a sad sight, Gibbs was thrilled that Tony was able to at least move some muscles again.

The ill agent finally stopped coughing and settled into the bed comfortingly. It was weak and pretty saddening, but he was breathing and that's what counted. The nurse adjusted an oxygen mask on Tony's mouth and nose before she left. Dr. Ogilvie and Ducky were at the edge of the bed now, talking about future plans.

"Mm-mm," Tony grumbled softly. It was difficult to talk and move, or pretty much breathe and he doesn't exactly remember anything.

Gibbs smiled. He hadn't heard that voice for a month, and God did he miss it. He gently pushed away the hair away from Tony's eyes before he replied.

"You haven't said a word in weeks, and that's all you can come up with?"

Tony gazed at him with pale green eyes, confusion glowing within them, before he closed his eyes and sighed. Gibbs waited for a reply until he realized that Tony probably fell asleep.

"Don't take too long waking up, DiNozzo, cases aren't gonna solve themselves."

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Two days passed before Tony was finally able to respond to them and actually make out words. He had been upgraded from an oxygen mask to the light fitting nasal cannula and was doing well. The team had come in early and settled into his hospital room. Gibbs stood back watching as Abby snuggled in near Tony's side as she and McGee joked with the recovering agent.

"He's like a fish in the sea," Abby laughed. "Get it? Because only Tony would get infected from a disease that infects one-in-a-million. And from bad fish too. Why aren't you laughing? It's funny!"

"Sure Abby." Tony murmured, but he wasn't really focusing on her words. Currently, he was too fascinated with some particularly colourful dust particles.

"Also," McGee dragged the word, "we've done more work in a month, than we have all year!"

Tony frowned, "What are you talking about, McGee?" he asked slowly. "You need me. I bring happiness and joy into your life." He coughed lightly before giggling.

"Wow, Tony," Abby said, "I don't think I've ever heard you giggle. What are you on?"

"I'm not sure, but they gave me some muscle relaxants and I feel all funny." He frowned, before continuing. "Hey, McGee, I love you man." Tony stated suddenly, while flexing his fingers. "You're smart with computers and numbers and…and stuff. And Abby, oh Abby, you're like the younger sister I've never had."

Tony made a scene of trying to life his head, but his body was still slow to respond to his commands. Gibbs moved towards him and pressed a button on the side, effectively lifting the head of the bed.

"Where's Ziva?" Tony asked, his eyes sluggishly blinking.

"Someone has to work around here, DiNozzo" Gibbs replied.

"But she's been here almost every day!" added Abby defending her, knowing that Ziva was as worried as the rest of them, "she really wanted to come, but Vance was already upset that we've been a man down for so long. And the temp is totally useless. Like he doesn't even know what a mass spectrometer is!"

"Oh," Tony nodded slowly, as if everything made complete sense to him.

"So, how'd I get sick again?" he asked, rubbing his eyes with his palms.

Abby looked worriedly at Gibbs before she answered, "We just explained it to you. Don't you remember?" She received a blank stare in reply. "Well, Tony, you're just not a lucky person, but even this is sad."

Tony glared at her.

"You ate some bad fish." Gibbs interrupted, as he already explained this to him several times.

"What?" Tony squeaked loudly, "So, I was paralyzed, and almost died, because of some fish?"

He was silent for a few moments before he started giggling again.

"This is why I don't eat healthy," Tony said sleepily as he closed his eyes. "Has pizza ever tried killing me?"

"Well, there was that one time when you chocked and you needed the Heimlich maneuver-"

"Shh," the sick agent cut McGee off, placing a finger on his lips, "Time to sleep. Good night," he said before promptly blacking out.

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AN: I'm writing the last few chapters now so updates might be a bit slower. I'll try my best to finish them when I have time, but you won't have to wait that long. Thanks again for everything.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: NCIS does not belong to me. **

**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I don't have any excuse other than that uni is taking over my life. Also, I wasn't able to reply to all the wonderful reviews I got for the last chapter but I appreciate every single one of them. Thank you so much for all your patience. **

**Shout out to: **Long Live BRUCAS, keembur, NickTonyK, Gloworm41, angelscatie, Anjelik, Meilea2010, DS2010, Sparkiebunny, vinkii, sopmire, B00kw0rm92, AgentD.6, Catoucan and all guests for your reviews.

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"Ducky says they're thinking of letting you out of here by tomorrow evening," Gibbs stated as he entered Tony's hospital room.

It was past midnight and the nurses all but gave up of making him agree to the visiting conditions. Ducky had stayed with Tony most of the day, and it was only after he left did they allow Gibbs to come through. While Tony was finally out of danger and had been moved out from the ICU room, the lead agent couldn't help but make sure of that for himself every day.

"Really," Tony snapped his head away from the television and towards Gibbs, "because honestly boss, the past eight days have been torture. They've been feeding me some form of white gunk, saying it's supposed to make my immune system better or something. Oh and the physical therapy? That's almost as bad as the plague. Key word _almost_, because come on boss, everyone knows nothing beats the plague. And don' even get me started on the nurses-".

"Okay, wise guy. What's with the rambling?" Gibbs cut him off.

"Oh," Tony sighed before taking a slow breath, "I really wanted coffee because for some reason my body still doesn't like me and so I keep falling asleep and I don't like that, but nurse Leila- you know nurse Leila, right boss? She's the pretty blond with the big-", Tony was interrupted by a smack to the head.

"Hey, she has your life in her hands. If you ever want to walk again, you better show some respect," Gibbs growled.

"Sorry," Tony said in a startled tone, "anyway, she finally agreed on Caf-Pow and Abby brought some for me but I forgot that I had taken some painkillers for my headache, which I don't think I was supposed to do and now we've come full circle."

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed, "I don't think they should be letting you out after all."

The desolate look he got in response made him laugh out loud, louder than he had in a long time. The past weeks were horrendous and it felt good to torment his senior field agent again.

But apparently Tony was doing well enough that he could finally go home. He no longer needed any form of breathing device and while he was able to move most of his limbs, he still needed some therapy. All that left was an exhausted and cranky senior field agent.

"No, no! Boss, I'll be good, I promise. No more mixing painkillers with caffeine. Just please let me go home," the recovering agent squealed.

"I don't know, DiNozzo. You're not looking too good, maybe I should go talk to your doc," he pretended to walk away, but stopped when Tony started yelling again.

"Wait, Gibbs! No! Honestly, I'll listen to everything you say. I promise."

"Calm down, DiNozzo. I'm just kidding. They're probably kicking you out instead for traumatizing all the nurses."

"I resent that." Tony mumbled, faking a cry.

"Besides, the doc said too much exertion on your muscles right now might not be too healthy."

Tony frowned, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Gibbs smiled deviously in return, "it's too much work going up and down the stairs at your apartment, and even though Ducky volunteered to take you in, you'll be living with me. You'll get the guest room on the main floor so you better be prepared to shape up quickly."

Tony grimaced.

"I am fully capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much," he quickly sobered up when Gibbs glared at him, "but I promised I'll listen to you and you will help me recover that much faster."

At that moment, a nurse entered the room, and sadly it wasn't pretty little nurse Leila. It was grumpy old nurse Becky.

"Excuse me?" She protested, "It is almost one in the morning. Anthony needs his rest, he had a hard time in physio today."

Gibbs cracked his head roughly towards Tony, "That true?" he asked not unkindly, as he narrowed his eyes.

"I was doing perfectly fine until they upped the speed on the treadmill. I'm telling you boss, they're trying to kill me."

Gibbs shook his head. "Go to sleep, Tony. I'll be right here," he said as he sat down on the nearby chair.

"But I don't want to sleep. I sleep most of the day anyway," the Italian whined.

"Honey, would you rather I sedate you?" nurse Becky threatened.

"Fine, fine. Gang up on the sick guy, would you?" Tony pulled up the bed cover and snuggled in.

"I'm not even tired," Tony said as he broke into a jaw-breaking yawn.

"Yea, I can see that," Gibbs rolled his eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow," Gibbs nodded his head at the nurse when she offered him a blanket.

"Night, Boss," Tony whispered.

He received a small pat on his arm in reply.

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"I'm free!" Tony sang as he left the hospital. "I am a free man, let me spread my wings and fly!" He lifted his arms high above his head and started twirling.

"You better slow down before you pass out." McGee told him.

Gibbs had wanted to pick Tony up himself, but Vance forced him to go to the conference he was told about a few months earlier. Instead, he told Ziva to go pick him up and stay with the recovering agent at his house until he was able to sneak out of the conference. McGee, worried that Ziva's driving would do more harm than good to Tony, offered to go with her.

"DiNozzo's do not pass out, McWorry."

"I just spoke to the doctor," Ziva broke in, "he clearly explained that you are still weak and might have dizzy spells. Dizzy spells? I do not know what that means."

Tim ignored her as he yanked the keys away from her. He squeaked when she stomped towards him and fisted his shirt roughly.

"I am driving," Ziva threatened as she pulled up closer to him.

"Actually, no. Gibbs made sure I go with you so he," he pointed to Tony who stood on his right, "doesn't die on the way to his house."

"I do not need a car to kill McGee." She whispered. "If you do not hand me those keys, I can not be held responsible for my actions."

"Actually, how about I drive?" Tony smiled coyly.

"Shut up!" They both yelled as they turned towards him.

"Woah, some people didn't wake up on the right side of the bed today."

The recovering agent ignored the bickering that continued and winced slightly as he tried opening the car door. Ziva, already feeling guilty for yelling at the exhausted looking agent, helped him open the door and settle in.

Tony's body was aching and his headache was returning. He could feel his energy quickly fading.

He needed a nap, dammit.

"You guys take your time! Don't worry about the poor dying handsome man." He shouted out before the door closed completely.

A few moments later, they appeared to have settled on something as McGee triumphantly opened the drivers' side and stepped in. Ziva was mumbling as she opened the passenger's side.

"I do not understand. I only get into car accidents a few times a year."

"Exactly," McGee replied.

Tony's headache abruptly came back with a vengeance. He squeezed his eyes tightly and let out a soft groan. He felt little pins and needles pricking his body all over and wished it would all just stop. The senior field agent suddenly regretted not taking the painkillers Dr. Ogilvie offered him earlier on.

Tony tried getting into a comfortable position but his legs and arms were still soar from the physical therapy he goes through every day- and to add on to all that, his teammates wouldn't be quiet.

"While you guys continue fighting, I'm gonna go to sleep. Wake me up when we get there," Tony moaned out to them before he closed his eyes and slowly faded away to blissful blackness.

McGee and Ziva looked at each other before they slowly turned around. Tony was already passed out. His head lay in an uncomfortable position on the window and his longs legs were folded awkwardly in front of him.

It was a pretty sad sight, actually.

They had wanted it to feel normal, like any other day at the office- with all the bickering and complaining and shouting- but now they just felt culpable. Here they were, responsible for bringing Tony to Gibbs house, and they didn't even bother asking him if he was okay.

"I won't tell Gibbs, if you won't tell him." McGee said, worried that somehow Gibbs will find out.

"Deal."

McGee nodded his head before he put the keys in the engine and started the car. Just as he was about to drive out of the parking lot, Ziva grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Wait, McGee. Open the trunk," she demanded in a whispered hush.

Ziva got out of the car and hurriedly grabbed something from the trunk. She opened the backseat door and lightly covered Tony in a soft blanket.

She noticed the sly smile on McGee's face.

"He looked cold and he is still sick," she explained, "If you tell him I did this I will kill you."

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AN: one or two chapters left of recovery with Gibbs and an epilogue. Once again, I'm so sorry for the delay. I'll try to get the next one up as soon as possible, but if you don't get anything until the winter break please don't kill me. Exams have begun /insert sobbing here/. Thanks for reading and please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**AU: I am so very sorry for the long wait. I have been a very bad person and I apologize. I could make up really good excuses, but I really don't have any. Some of you might not like the ending as it may seem rushed, but I really wanted to post it before more time went by. Nonetheless, here is the final chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it. Thank you for all your reviews, your favourites, follows and patience, it means so much. If I could go to each and every one of your houses and give you chocolate, I would. Sadly, I can't. Once again, thank you so much! On with the story! **

**Warning: Swear words. **

"Hey, Tony," McGee called out to the sleeping agent as he opened the back door. "We're here. Come on, let's go."

McGee shook Tony's shoulders lightly as he looked on, concern etched on his face. Tony was usually such a light sleeper, even when he was sick, and McGee hated to see him so vulnerable.

A few seconds passed by before Tony started mumbling. He opened his eyes and squinted up at the anxious face leaning over him.

"I'm up. Geez McGee, you're like an annoying bee. Now, shh." Tony said. He rubbed his eyes sluggishly before he got out of the car slowly. Holding on to McGee, he slowly walked up the steps towards Gibbs' front entrance.

They waited as Ziva opened the door and pushed aside to let them in.

"We have been ordered to stay here until Gibbs arrives. Abby is coming later as well. As is Ducky. In fact, I think even Jimmy will be swaying by here soon." Ziva informed him.

"Swaying?" McGee mouthed towards Tony.

He was still holding on to the Italian, afraid even the slightest wind will push him off his feet.

"I'm good, McGee," Tony softly, as if he read his mind. He pushed away the helping hand and shuffled to the nearby couch. The recovering agent rolled his eyes upwards and dropped like a sack of potatoes on the living room couch.

"I think you mean swinging, young grasshopper." Tony corrected Ziva. He groaned as he raised his legs slowly and placed his head on the armrest.

"My lessons have all gone to a waste. I must reteach you," he mumbled.

Ziva was prepared to tell him that she was at least healthy enough to last an hour before passing out but was cut off by a loud sound of a car screech in the garage way. Ziva looked down at her watch and turned towards McGee.

"It has been 17 minutes. Pay up, McGee."

McGee took out his wallet and grudgingly passed her a twenty-dollar note.

Gibbs took that moment to open the front door and bust in.

"Wait..." Tony looked at Gibbs then at McGee. "You bet that Gibbs would last _more_ than twenty minutes at a meeting? What's wrong with you?"

"At least he's less trouble than you," Gibbs said. "A tech was having trouble with a video call and I snuck out. Vance knows better to call me back." He turned suddenly towards Tony.

"What are you doing on the couch?"

Gibbs knew there was something off about Tony. Mind you, _other_ than the fact that he recently survived complete paralysis. Ever since he visited him last night, the agent was quiet- more sullen and trying to hard to pretend everything was all right.

"Huh?... Just tired," Tony replied.

Gibbs looked skeptical before asking if he wanted something to eat.

"No thanks, boss. If I see any food I'll vomit."

Ziva looked on in astonishment. "Passing on food. Maybe he is dying."

There was a change in the environment immediately. Ziva didn't understand and probably would never realize that she practically mimicked one of the last few moments the team had with Kate.

A fleeting memory of Chinese food, Kate's smiling face and the horrors of the plague floated through Tony's mind and he suddenly felt more exhausted than he had ever been in his entire injury-prone life.

If it were possible, Tony's pale face got even paler.

"All right then," Gibbs broke the silence, trying to deflect the surging reactions, "Let's get you upstairs."

Gibbs reached towards Tony to help him get up but Tony blocked his hands and sat up on the couch.

"I'm fine. What's it with everyone thinking I can't move without one of you holding on to me?... It's not like I'm gonna fall on my face." His mood had taken a turn for the worse and he wanted nothing more than to sleep the rest of the day. Being ill sucked.

He took a few moments before finally standing up. He felt the suddenness of a head rush but did his best to avoid expressing anything.

Tony took a small step and turned towards the stairs. It just seemedso _far._

He can do this. He can prove them wrong.

Five steps left.

An internal mantra of _almost there, just a few more, you got this _repeated on and on, pushing him towards his goal.

Four more.

_Almost there, you got this, almost there, just a few left. _

Three.

_Just three, just three more, that's nothing, come on. _

But that appeared to be his limit.

Tony swayed for a few moments, waiting for the dizziness to pass and willing to crawl up the stairs rather than be humiliated.

The Italian knew the rest of the team was watching his back- ready to help at the slightest demand- but he was sick and tired of being incompetent. He had to do this. There was no other option.

He took one more step.

The black spots fogged up his vision faster than it was possible and the hardwood floor rushed up towards him.

He wasn't too sure, but it looked like he'll be hugging the floor soon.

That sounded kinda nice.

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Gibbs watched on painfully as Tony shuffled across the living room towards the stairs. He knew it meant a lot to the younger agent to still be able to move around by himself and maintain some of his dignity. He watched Tony take slow painful steps before stopping and starting to sway.

Ignoring the agony his bum knee caused at too-quick movements, Gibbs crossed the room and tightly grabbed on to Tony before he had the chance to break his neck.

"Yeah, you're perfectly fine." Gibbs said. "McGee! Get over here and help me take him upstairs."

McGee rushed towards them, tucked his right arm around Tony's waste and raised Tony's left arm above his shoulders. On the other side, Gibbs held Tony's right arm across his shoulders and together they slowly shuffled up the stairs.

"I will start lunch," they heard Ziva cry behind them.

"Man, Tony," McGee grunted, "For a sick guy, you're still pretty heavy."

"It was those milkshakes they made me keep drinking," Tony mumbled in reply. "I wanna sleep," he added as an afterthought.

Thankfully they had reached the top of the stairs by that time and it was just a few steps to the bedroom. Once there, they stepped in the room and walked towards the bed.

A few awkward moments passed by as the three men tried to maneuver Tony onto the bed in as little pain as possible.

Gibbs grunted.

Tony sweat.

And McGee swore softly as he stubbed his foot at the edge of the bed.

Like a child caught in the act, McGee swerved his eyes towards Gibbs, hoping the lead agent hadn't heard anything. But Gibbs had ignored him and instead was helping Tony out of the sweatshirt and tossing him a t-shirt instead.

"Thanks, guys," Tony whispered to them as he shut his eyes.

McGee left the room to go help Ziva but Gibbs held back.

"You get a nice nap, Tony, because starting tomorrow I'm working you hard. I've got an excellent training plan I've prepared out for you."

Tony had almost faded away to blissful darkness but when he heard the words training and prepared by Gibbs, he snapped his eyes open.

"Training plan?" He said with a slight sense of horror.

Gibbs huffed out a small laugh and patted Tony's head, "Good night."

Gibbs walked towards the hall and just as he was about to close the door, he turned and with a small smile asked, "Was it 200 or 300 pounds you boasted about lifting a few months ago?"

"I never said that," Tony replied in shock, too tired to note the teasing.

"Hmm…I guess I'll have to adjust that."

And with that, Gibbs went downstairs while Tony turned on his right side to sleep- trying to ignore the image of being crushed down by giant dumbbells.

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By the time Tony woke from his nap, the rest of the team had arrived. Abby took one look at Tony and started pestering him for missing lunch. She quickly took his hand and made him sit down on the kitchen stool while she prepared him a light sandwich. She placed a cup in front oh him and forced him to drink at least half the milkshake.

The frequent naps Tony had in the middle of the day made him both lethargic at times and energized at others. They had all taken turns to joke with Tony and he was all up for it but it started becoming frustrating after a while.

He was thankful the team was here and everything but for some reason he just wanted the day to end. It seemed like forever ago he left the hospital and took a nap and ate lunch and joked with the team, but he just wanted a fresh new day to begin his life renewed.

It was early by the time the team had to leave but it was still a weekday and they all had to wake up early.

"Bye, Tony," Jimmy and Abby said at the same time when they walked out the door.

"Oh yeah," said Jimmy, "And good luck with Gibbs tomorrow."

Gibbs and Tony were finally alone in the house. The team had cleaned up before they left so there was really nothing for them left to do.

"Good luck? What's the gremlin talking about?" Asked Tony.

To Gibbs, Tony sounded tired but also a bit hostile. There was something going with Tony and Gibbs wanted to get down to it.

"What? You already forgot?" He joked, in hoping to dispel the miserable look facing back at him.

"So that training plan thing is real? I thought I was dreaming!"

"The director," Gibbs noted it would be easier if he just blamed Vance, "decided that the best way to get you back to work was if I took half days. Half the day helping you build up your fitness and the other half back at the navy yard."

"Is that even possible? Like physically? Are you really capable of staying in the same premises as me instead of the office?"

It was a weak attempt of a joke, even for Tony.

"We'll see how you're laughing tomorrow when you fall on your ass."

And while Tony laughed at that, he hadn't really accepted that it would come true.

Like, literally.

The next morning, a surprisingly smiling Gibbs waked Tony at exactly 5 am.

"It's time," he told Tony.

It almost sounded like he was in a horror movie and the evil bloke suddenly decided that it was time for him to die.

"It's five o'clock," Tony groaned, "I thought sleep was good for me."

"You've had enough sleep. I've talked to your ducky and your doc. They said that we can start training."

He threw the training clothes he had grabbed for Tony's apartment earlier on and threw them at the Italian.

"Get up and shower. You have ten minutes." And with that, Gibbs turned around and left.

Tony moaned loudly before shuffling out of bed and towards the washroom. He counted mississipply and took an exact eight-minute shower. He couldmultitask, you know?

By the time he dressed and went downstairs, Gibbs had prepared a mouth-watering breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast.

"We're gonna eat then go for a short jog," Gibbs said. "We'll start off easy."

Tony started eating before he asked, "Are you sure that's a good idea? Cause yesterday I almost passed out walking to the stairs."

He was still tired and while he knew Gibbs sensed something off about him, he tried ignoring it.

"You were drugged and hadn't slept well...again, I talked to your doctors."

"Well then, someone's been checking up on me." Tony started after stuffing as much as he could in his mouth, "let's get started, shall we?"

He grabbed the glass of orange juice and chugged it down.

"Slow down there, cowboy. I said we're going for a jog not run a marathon," but Gibbs was laughing and already opening the door. "I swear you're like a pregnant women. Mood swings all over the place."

_Oh, Gibbs, if you only knew. _

They had started off slow, about 50 meters walking, before Gibbs started jogging slowly. Tony followed him en suite, but he had started huffing already.

"Boss, slow down," he panted, "it's just the first day. Why are we running already?"

"DiNozzo, I walk faster than this! Keep up."

Tony decided to save his breath rather than respond. But after 15 agonizing minutes of painfully embarrassing jogging techniques, he stumbled over his feet and smacked hard into the sidewalk.

Gibbs, who was a few feet ahead of him, heard the soft yelp and turned around quickly.

"Tony," Gibbs ran to Tony's side, worried he might have pushed the recovering agent too hard. He was just so intent in getting Tony back into the game.

The Italian groaned as Gibbs turned him around to lay facing up.

"Ughhhh," Tony swipped his hand under his nose and looked in disbelief at the blood smeared on his fingers.

"I'm bleeding. My nose is bleeding, boss."

"Yea, I can see that," Gibbs replied. "Get up before you get a sun burn. Let's walk back home," he added guiltily.

Tony stayed where he was but lifted his arms, too tired to get up on his own. Still, Gibbs rolled his eyes, held on to the agent's hand and pulled, stumbling backwards a little.

"You're gonna have to carry me, Boss. I don't see myself walking even ten feet on my own."

Feeling a little responsible for the bloody nose, Gibbs lifted Tony's right arm across his shoulders and held on to Tony's side.

Tony's panting was all that was heard on the walk back home. Gibbs stayed quiet, but only once were they a few feet home did he realize what was so off about Tony.

And boy, was he angry.

Gibbs decided to talk to Tony once they both showered and did not smell of dirt, blood and sweat.

While Tony showered, Gibbs tried to think about the past few days. Everything seemed normal but his gut was telling him something else and Tony wasn't helping. Constant mood changes, happy one moment, frustrated the next, sleeping all the time- it annoyed Gibbs when he was at a lost. And it angered him even more when it was Tony who usually made him feel this way.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Gibbs asked Tony as he sprawled out on the couch after his shower.

That was _not _how he meant to start the conversation. He had prepared everything he was going to say, but it flew out the window the moment Tony came out the bathroom.

Tony looked back at him with a confused expression. Gibbs had to give him credit. It was a pretty good oblivious look he was expressing.

"What? Boss-,"

"Yes, boss. Exactly. I'm your boss. Why are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Seriously, Gibbs. You've lost me. What is with this suddenness? What are you on about?"

"Don't insult me, Tony." Gibbs stood close to Tony. "Taking your pills exactly when someone tells you too, giving us your joyful cover, not even trying to get back to work. I've been worried sick since the moment you passed out on the field and now since you've left the hospital, something's changed and I can't shake it off. What are you trying to do?"

"What is this, an intervention? Are you actually lecturing me because I'm finally taking care of myself for once? Gibbs, I was paralyzed for weeks. You don't know how that feels," Tony's voice got louder as he spoke. Ever since seeing the doctor yesterday, he was pissed and Gibbs getting up in his face wasn't helping any, "you don't understand how frightening it is to not have any control over your body. Don't you dare look at me, and start insinuating things that make no sense."

"I understand tha-"

"No you don't. You-"

"Hey! Listen to me," Gibbs cut him off. "Yes, you got sick. But you got better. You got better DiNozzo, but something happened recently. I know you Tony. I know when something's happened. Tell me what's going on. Please."

"Please?" Tony repeated exasperatedly, "You're just pulling out the big guns, aren't you? There. is. nothing. going. on."

Tony looked at Gibbs defiantly, daring him to go on.

Gibbs ignored the death look and sat on the couch beside Tony. They stared quietly at the T.V in front of them.

"I don't understand what's happening in your head right now DiNozzo, but you're hurting yourself by hiding," Gibbs said softly.

"You don't understand boss. That's exactly it. You _can't _understand."

"Then help me understand!" Gibbs all but yelled as he turned to face the agent.

Tony stood up abruptly, trying to get away from Gibbs as much as possible. He walked towards the window facing the street. It was still bright and sunny but it looked like it might rain soon. Huge dark clouds were on their way and it was about to get gloomy.

Just like his mood.

"I can't, boss. Not now. I'll tell you soon, but just not today. I can't face it myself."

Gibbs regulated his breathing before walking towards Tony and looking out the window beside him. He hesitated slightly before placing his hand on the Italians shoulder.

"Tony, whatever this thing is, we'll face it together. I'm not trying to make this some cheesy hallmark moment, but you're hurting me too son. You're trying to hide it, but I can see right through you and I can't sit by the side and watch you destroy yourself. Help me so we can help you."

"It's not that easy."

Tony wanted to tell him. He really did, but he didn't want to believe it himself. He's being trying to ignore what was told to him but he just couldn't avoid it. It was all consuming. He couldn't escape it. His future was being held on the line.

"It's gonna start raining soon," Tony said glumly.

"Yea. At least we had a short run. Stop deflecting."

Tony sighed heavily. He slid down the wall and huffed out a trembling breath when he hit the floor. A half-smile lit his face when he saw Gibbs sit down next to him.

"First the window, now this. We don't have to be on even levels just to talk," Tony said.

Gibbs remained quiet. He new that Tony was avoiding the subject. But they weren't going to do anything else today until they got to the bottom of this.

A few minutes passed by before Tony started speaking.

"The night…" he trailed off.

The lead agent wanted nothing else but to shake some sense into Tony and make him blurt out what was bothering him. He wanted Tony to speak up but he knew that if he interrupted now, then he would never get another chance.

"The night before I was released from the hospital, a few hours before you arrived, the doctor, he…"

Gibbs couldn't hold it back. "Tony," He put his hand on Tony's thigh, "I know you're probably feeling scared and vulnerable right now, but whatever this thing is, I'll help you through it."

"I have to quit."

Even though Gibbs was expecting something as sudden as this, it still felt wrong hearing it.

Tony wasn't looking at Gibbs to see the totally shaken look he was expressing. He was staring straight ahead; face pale but stony.

A simple _why _came out of Gibbs lips. Nothing else seemed possible. For once in his life, Gibbs was completely speechless. Sure he's known as the functional mute, but his thoughts were always skyrocketing ahead of him. This time, it's as if his brain was frozen. No thoughts were incoming.

"The doctor said what with the scarring from the plague and the paralysis from the poisoning, my lungs won't be able to handle any more stress and would place too much pressure on my heart. Something about pulmonary circulation or whatever."

Tony sighed heavily before looking down on at lap.

"That's bullshit. We'll prove him wrong," Gibbs simply told him.

"Boss, please don't. Even I'm surprised I survived. The doc said even a small chest infection can lead to respiratory or heart failure. And what with being a field agent, running around all the time, it'll be too much."

"Tony, this isn't like you. You've always faced death with the utmost determination to obliterate it. Why are you giving up so easily? We'll get you the best rehab treatment there is. I know you can do this. What do you think will happen to Abby or Ducky or the rest of the team when they find out you want to quit."

Faster than he could even sense it, Tony stood up and looked down at Gibbs, hard-faced.

"Don't you dare guilt me into anything! You think I want to quit? Being a field agent is my life! What the hell am I supposed to do with crap lungs?"

Gibbs stood up, put both his hands on the agents shoulders and looked directly at him.

"You haven't even thought about this-"

"Fuck you, Gibbs! It's all I've been thinking about! I'm fucking tired of hiding –"

Gibbs shouted. "Listen to me, goddammit! You must really think I'm gonna accept your resignation if you've started foul mouthing me. You don't have to quit. You'll do physio. You'll do rehab. You'll take as much time as you need and if you still cant work, there's tons of things to do other than being a field agent."

"Aren't you listening Gibbs? Being a field agent is all I want to do. There's nothing else for me. I won't be a pencil pusher, I wont."

"Then you won't be." He told him softly. "Hell, you just got out of the hospital yesterday. You haven't even looked at any other options yet."

They stood quietly for a few moments before Gibbs spoke again.

"Okay," he started, "You'll still work hot cases with the team. And in a few months, after physio and weekly checkups with your docs, I'll find a way for you to get back on the field. Be it, you stick by my side at all times, no chases or heavy-duty work, then fine!

"I don't want a fucking babysitter, Gibbs."

"I'm not your babysitter. Do you really think I'd wanna hear your yabba-yabba all day? We _will _figure it out. I'm sure Ducky has some new rehabilitation programs set up for you already. And heck, I'm more likely to have a heart attack before you! Or you know what, I'm pretty sure Abby will just scare your lungs into working again."

A half smile lit Tony's face, indicating that he had calmed down a bit.

"Okay," Tony sighed. "I can live with being a half-field agent. No big running races, no heavy machinery, no sleepless nights, but still work with the team. Okay," he started mumbling. "I'll find a way to work around that."

Gibbs smiled and patted his agent's cheek, "Atta boy."

"Now, let's eats. I'm starving."

"You just ate breakfast a while ago," Gibbs said, surprised at the turn of events.

"Boss," Tony looked at him exasperatedly and pointed to himself, "how do you think this bad boy is gonna get better if he doesn't eat food. Food makes me happy and gives me energy. Happiness is good for the soul and energy helps the body. Geez, I _am_ a phys. Ed major, after all."

"Stop trying too hard to avoid the subject," but Gibbs was laughing and rolling his eyes. He walked towards the kitchen, determined to make Tony's favourite snack.

Sure Tony had a huge fight against him, but with his team on his side, it might just not be that hard. He had a job, he had amazing friends, he had a family. If they suffered through all his troubles before, they sure as hell can handle this with him as well.

OoOONCISncisNCISncisNCISncis OOoo

EPILOGUE

Six months and four days later.

"Well Tony, I don't know how you did it, but your lungs are looking very healthy. Not perfect, mind you, but good enough to get back on the field."

Tony had been waiting for the results from Dr. Ogilvie for a few hours now and that sentence was the probably the best string of words he has ever heard in his life.

"Really?" Tony exclaimed. "I'm good? Cause you know, that rehabilitation center in San Diego was really hard to get in. Actually no, Ducky just has really good connections."

"Yes, I think you can finally get away from your desk for a few hours every day, but no high-tailing races, got that?"

"No marathons, check."

"I'm serious, Tony. You might be in much better shape than you were a few month back, but you still have to take care of yourself," the physician advised.

"I got you, doc. I'll be careful. I won't do anything serious alone. I'll continue with these constant checkups, even though I'd rather cut my tongue off, eat healthy, the whole shebang."

"Good, good. And I know you don't want to be here. _I _would rather not see you here too, no offense, I'm just talking about your health. Just don't forget that it _is_ for your own sake."

"Well, Dr. Ogilvie, I couldn't have done it without you."

They stood up at the same time, shook hands and said their goodbyes.

"Thank you. I know I've probably made your year very hectic, but thanks."

"Just doing my job," Dr. Ogilvie replied.

"Really? Getting called up at least five times in the middle of the night to reassure my nighttime paranoia that my recurrent mild coughs were normal, is _just your job_?"

"Yes well, maybe I just like you, Tony."

"Slow down there doc, you need to buy me dinner first."

"Ha ha," the doctor laughed dryly. "Now get out, before I kick you out," he joked.

"Don't need to tell me twice," Tony smiled, "have a wonderful day doctor."

The senior field agent walked out of the room and towards the exit of the hospital. He bundled up his winter jacket and stepped outside.

He was the least bit surprised when he saw Gibbs waiting against his car.

"You following me, Boss?"

"Nah, thought maybe this kid I work with might enjoy some company after an important day like today," Gibbs joked. "Jokes aside Tony, what did the doctor say," Gibbs said in reply.

Tony sighed heavily before opening the driver's door and stepping inside. Really, winter was having the time of its life this year, wasn't it? God, it was freezing. He waited for Gibbs to enter the car before you replied.

"He said that my lungs were still in bad shape and doesn't see me getting back anytime soon," Tony tried to hide the smile as Gibbs started shouting.

"The hell you aren't!" Gibbs yelled, "Who does he think he is? Saying shit like that should-"

"Woah woah, Boss, calm down. I'm kidding! Man… you're one to take a joke."

"Don't ever say something like that again. This is your life we're talking about. And I've been freezing my ass out here waiting for good results."

"But your car is right there, and aw, you were worried?" Tony got a head smack in return.

"Gibbs! Did you just assault a federal _field _agent?"

"Field?" Gibbs smiled, his heart racing from trying to keep up with Tony's childish tactics.

Tony nodded and raised his eyebrows.

"You can get back on the field?" Gibbs laughed, "Hell, I knew that the whole time. The doc finally said you're good, huh?"

Tony looked at Gibbs slyly and smiled.

"I'm the king of the world."

END


End file.
